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29 articles tagged #Database.
P.01Two requests try to update the same row at the same time. Pessimistic locking stops one of them from starting; optimistic locking lets both run and catches the conflict at the end. Here's how each works, with real SQL, and how to pick.
P.02Soft delete keeps a deleted_at column and hides rows instead of removing them. It sounds like the safe default, but it quietly breaks unique constraints, foreign keys, and query performance if you don't design for it up front. Here's the real tradeoff.
P.03Partitioning and sharding both split data up, and people mix up the terms constantly. Partitioning stays on one database and one server. Here's how range, list, and hash partitioning actually work, and when a partitioned table solves your problem before you need sharding at all.
P.04Read Committed, Repeatable Read, Serializable: most developers pick whatever their ORM defaults to and never ask why. Here's what each isolation level actually prevents, what it still allows, and how to pick one on purpose.
P.05A practical comparison of the four vector databases most teams actually shortlist for RAG and semantic search, with real pricing models, when each one wins, and the one question that should decide it for you.
P.06MySQL 9 shipped a native VECTOR column type and distance functions, no extension required. Here's how it actually compares to Postgres plus pgvector for real semantic search workloads, with working syntax for both.
P.07PostgreSQL 18 shipped in September 2025 and is now on its 18.4 point release. With PostgreSQL 19 still in beta, here's what 18's async I/O, UUIDv7, virtual generated columns, and OAuth support actually mean for a production upgrade decision today.
P.08Event sourcing stores every change to your data as an immutable event, then derives current state by replaying them, instead of overwriting a row each time something changes. Here's what that actually buys you, and the real operational cost it isn't worth paying in most systems.
P.09CAP theorem gets summarized as 'pick two of three' so often that the summary has replaced the theorem. Here's what it actually says, why the real constraint only bites during a network partition, and how to pick a consistency model for a system you're actually building.
P.10In under three months, one developer rebuilt Postgres from scratch in Rust using AI coding agents, and pgrust now matches Postgres 18.3's output across more than 46,000 regression queries. Here's what it actually is, and isn't, and why it matters.
P.11Adding read replicas is the standard fix for a database under read load, but it introduces a gap between when data is written and when it's readable everywhere. Here's what replication lag actually does to your application and how to design around it.
P.12An N+1 query bug turns one page load into hundreds of database round trips. Here's what causes it, how to spot it in Django, Rails, and Prisma, and the eager-loading fixes that make it go away for good.
P.13PostgreSQL 19 Beta 1 shipped with a REPACK command that finally makes VACUUM FULL and CLUSTER safe to run without a maintenance window, plus parallel autovacuum and smarter async I/O. Here's what changed and what to test now.
P.14Database engineer is distinct from data engineer. One designs schemas, tunes queries, and manages production Postgres. The other builds pipelines. Here's how to hire the one who keeps your app fast.
P.15ClickHouse is a columnar database designed for analytical workloads. It answers queries over billions of rows in seconds that would take minutes in Postgres. Here's what application developers need to know.
P.16SQLite runs in every phone and browser. Turso extends it to the server and edge with replication, branching, and a network protocol. Here's when it makes sense.
P.17Most slow queries come from a small set of fixable problems: missing indexes, N+1 patterns, and over-fetching. This is the practical diagnostic and fix guide.
P.18The queries that destroy production Postgres databases share a small set of root causes. Here is how to find them, understand what EXPLAIN ANALYZE is telling you, and fix them without guessing.
P.19Neon separates storage from compute to make Postgres behave like a serverless resource. The branching feature is what actually changes the development workflow — here's how it works and when it's worth the migration.
P.20Connection exhaustion is one of the most common production failures for apps that scale. Here's how pooling works, which tool fits which setup, and the configuration decisions that matter.
P.21Add similarity search to your existing Postgres database using pgvector. Real setup, indexing strategies, and when you actually need a dedicated vector database.
P.22Every SaaS team eventually faces the multi-tenancy decision. The wrong choice creates migration pain later. Here's how to think through database-per-tenant, schema-per-tenant, and row-level security based on what your product actually needs.
P.23Running totals, rankings, moving averages, lag and lead comparisons: window functions handle the analytics queries that would otherwise require application-side loops or multiple round-trips. Here's how they work.
P.24Drizzle ORM has become the go-to choice for TypeScript projects that want type safety without the overhead of a heavy ORM. Here's how it works, how to migrate from Prisma, and when to use it.
P.25ALTER TABLE locks your database. Your migration takes longer than expected. Users get errors. Here's how to handle schema changes that don't interrupt production traffic.
P.26Nearly 200 developers urged Oracle to rethink MySQL's future. We break down the open letter, the governance crisis, the rise of PostgreSQL and alternatives, and what developers should do next.
P.27How we built an AI-powered interface that lets non-technical users query any database using plain English, eliminating SQL expertise requirements and democratizing data access.
P.28The database landscape is consolidating around Postgres while SQLite finds new life at the edge. Meanwhile, vector databases have become essential infrastructure for AI applications.
P.29EditorPickMaster SQL from basics to advanced — SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, indexes, date functions, and more using SQLite with Python.